Sunday, 25 June 2017

Phony wars, by Dr Ikramul Haq

Pakistan presents a classic case study of a
‘state within state’ — terrorists and mafias crippling institutions and
over-empowering the masses

Terrorism, arms, drug trades, and money laundering,
intrinsically linked, pose considerable threats to global peace and security
along with destabilising political and financial stability of many nation
states. Pakistan is one of the worst-affected victims of these menaces. The war
against any terrorist network e.g. ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Taliban (enjoying
networking with many outlawed groups having hubs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and
elsewhere) cannot be won unless their financial lifeline is destroyed. These
networks are minting enormous money from voluntary donations to organised
crime.

There are a few questions that irk everybody’s mind.
Where do these terrorists get so much money from? Why are the governments not
serious in cracking down on unlawful transfer of funds? If banking channels
are used, then why cannot be remitters and recipients traced? If hawala and
hundi are used for unlawful transfer of funds, why persons engaged in these
unlawful activities are not arrested and punished? Who all are financing these
terrorist networks? Who all are providing them sophisticated arms and military
training? It is a well-established fact that criminals remit billions of
dollars every year from bank accounts maintained in various countries. The
crackdown on this enormous dirty money is the real issue though it finds less
significance in discussions and strategies to defeat terrorism that is
largely fed by arms and drugs deals.

James Petras, Professor of Sociology, Binghamton
University, New York, in his paper, “Dirty Money” Foundation of US Growth and
Empire makes startling revelations: “There is a consensus among US
Congressional Investigators, former bankers and international banking experts
that US and European banks launder between $500 billion and $1 trillion of
dirty money each year, half of which is laundered by U.S. banks alone”.
These yearly inflows surpass all the net transfers by the major US oil
producers, military industries and aircraft manufacturers. The most recent
estimates (2016) are that 90 offshore jurisdictions around the world licensed
about 11,000 offshore banks that control approximately $155 trillion in assets.

The 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy
Report (INCSR), annually prepared by the US Department of State, itself admits
that “in April 2016, the ‘Panama Papers’ exposed significant vulnerabilities
related to lack of financial transparency and the use of shell companies to
launder money, commit tax fraud, and evade US sanctions”. Money laundered in
Panama primarily comes from drug trafficking proceeds due to its location along
major trafficking routes. Once the money has been laundered, it can be
recycled into bona fide investments not only in real estate, hotels, etc, but
also in other areas such as the services economy and manufacturing.

Like the US government, our authorities also know that
huge funds are laundered through banks yet they do not take any action.
Professor Petras in Enormous By Any Measure says: “Washington and the mass
media have portrayed the US as being in the forefront of the struggle against
narco trafficking, drug laundering and political corruption: the image is of
clean white hands fighting dirty money. The truth is exactly the opposite”. It
equally applies to our rulers sitting in Islamabad. Case of Pakistan is no
different from Panama or Columbia.

There is sufficient evidence that militant groups
working against the security and stability of Pakistan generate huge funds
through organised criminal activities and also get generous “donations” from
“sympathisers” in and outside Pakistan. In the face of this fact, we have
yet not developed a reporting system to monitor the generation and movement of
such money/funds/assets. On the contrary we have laws that protect transfer
of funds, for example, section 5 and 9 of Protection of Economic Reforms Act,
1992 and section 111(4) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. These provisions
ensure unlimited flow of remittances and dealings in foreign currencies. So
financiers of terrorists are free to use even the banking facilities.

Tomorrow, June 26, will mark the 30th year anniversary of the UN
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. According to the
UNODC, nearly 210 million people are using illicit drugs such as cocaine,
cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates and sedative hypnotics worldwide

Drug barons, terrorists and money launderers not only
use hawala and hundi but exploit legal sanction available under section 111(4)
of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 which says that if anybody brings money
through normal banking channels, tax authorities cannot pose any question about
the “source.” The banks also take cover under section 5 and section 9 of the
Protection of Economic Reform Act, 1992 to withhold information from tax
authorities.

Besides legal weaknesses pointed out above, during the
last 30 years, NAB, FIA, ANF and FBR have not been able to establish a joint
task force to book and prosecute the men and networks involved in organised
crimes.

Pakistan presents a classic case study of ‘state within
state’ — terrorists and mafias crippling institutions and over-empowering the
masses. Pakistan has suffered a lot and paid a heavy price in men and material
while fighting against terrorism. Determined and practical efforts are needed
to destroy the financial supply lines of organised criminal networks. What
happened to National Action Plan (NAP) and 29 civil-military wings established
in August 2016? These and many other questions need to be answered if we are
really serious in uprooting terrorism, drug trafficking and other crimes.

The writer specialises in studying global
narco-arms economy and its linkages with terrorism. He is author of numerous
articles on these issues, besides author of books, Pakistan: From Hash to
Heroin and its sequel, Pakistan: Drug-trap to Debt-trap

About Me

Dr Shabir Choudhry has done extensive research on the issue of Kashmir and Indo Pakistan relations. He passed BA Honours in Politics and History, and Mphil in International Relations (title of the thesis, ‘Kashmir and Partition of India’); and title of his PhD thesis is ‘Kashmir- An issue of a nation not a dispute of a land’.

Apart from this Dr Shabir Choudhry passed Post Graduates Certificates in Education, and NVQ Assessor’s qualifications; and taught English in London.

Political Achievements

Founder member of JKLF (Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front established in 1977) and got elected as a Press Secretary in 1984.

Became its Secretary General in 1985, and resigned from this post in 1996.

Got elected President of JKLF and Europe in May 1999, and decided not to contest in elections of July 2001.

Said good - bye to the JKLF as it is in many groups and is largely seen as advancing a Pakistani agenda on Kashmir dispute, and set up a new party Kashmir National Party in May 2008.

.

At present, he is:

·Spokesman Kashmir National Party and Director Diplomatic Committee;

·Spokesman for International KashmirAlliance;

·Founder member and Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs;

Previously

·A founder Member and Trustee/ Director of London based registered charity, Kashmir Foundation International and resigned from this position in August 2001.

·Regularly take part in the Sessions of the UN Human Rights (Commission) now Council in Geneva; and address various conferences and seminars to oppose violence and highlight the Kashmir cause.

·Participated in a Round Table Conference on Kashmir, organised by Socialist Group of European Parliament in Brussels in 1993.

·Addressed as a Chief Guest in a seminar on issue of Mangla Dam during the UN Sub Commission’s proceedings in August 2003.

·Addressed as a key - note speaker in a seminar on the issue of Gilgit and Baltistan, organised by Association of British Kashmiris.

·Addressed as a keynote speaker on human rights conference in Paris in 1991.

·Addressed at CambridgeUniversity as a Chief Guest in a conference on Kashmir in 1990.

·Addressed as a keynote speaker at New Delhi conference on Kashmir, which was part of Track Two diplomacy in November 2000.

·In September 2008, addressed a Conference arranged by Interfaith International in Geneva, topic of which was:“Kashmir Issue, Terrorism and Human Rights”.

·Addressed as a speaker in a NGO Conference on Self - Determination in Geneva in August 2000.

·Addressed as a keynote speaker in a fringe meeting of Liberal Democrats at their Annual Conference in Brighton in 1995.

·Participated in World Human Rights Conference in Vienna in 1993.

·Before President Clinton's visit to India and Pakistan in 2000, lead a JKLF delegation to the State Department to discuss Kashmir dispute and situation in South Asia.

·Also had two rounds of meetings with senior State Department officials before President Musharraf’s meeting to Washington in June 2003.

·Apart from that had meetings with senior officials including Ministers of different countries, and also held many meetings with the State Department and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials on number of occasions.

·Played important role in advancing a Kashmiri perspective on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir; and also helped Baroness Emma Nicholson with her report ‘Kashmir: present situation and future prospects’, which was adopted by the European Parliament in May 2007.

·Won first prize in an essay competition in Urdu in 1976. It was organised by High Commission of Pakistan in London, and title of the essay was 'Qaaid-e- Azam's role in Islamic History'.

·Apart from that have addressed conferences in Brussels, Geneva, Toronto, Islamabad, Delhi, and

Publications

·Got first Urdu novel ‘Fareena’ published at the age of eighteen.

·Second Urdu novel ‘Bay-Khataa’ which was about the problems of Asian youths living in UK published in 1983.

·Third Urdu book ‘Pakistan and Kashmiri struggle for independence’ published in 1990.

·Fourth Urdu book is also on Kashmiri struggle, 'Is an independent Kashmir a conspiracy?'

·Apart from that has twenty books and booklets published in English on various aspects of the Kashmiri struggle.

·Recent publications are: Kashmir dispute as I see it

·Different perspective on Kashmir

·JKLF visit to Pakistan Administered Kashmir

·Kashmir Needs Change of Heart

·If not self - determination then what?

·Emma Nicholson report- who has won?

·Struggle for independence, Jihad or proxy war (Introduction by Baroness Emma Nicholson)

·

Future publications

Following books were completed some time ago and shall be published in near future:

In Search of Freedom - My visit to Srinagar and Islamabad

Kashmir and Partition of India

A brief background

Dr Shabir Choudhry was born in a small village called Nakker Shimali (near Panjeri) in District Bhimber, Azad Kashmir. He went to UK in 1966, and like other people from the region, holds a dual nationality. He left secondary school in 1970 with no qualifications and began his life as a textile worker.

In 1975 he started part time studies and passed Matriculation from Government High School Panjeri, passed ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels from UK, and resumed full time degree course in 1981, and passed BA (Hons) in Politics and History in 1984.

He continued full time and part time jobs until he got his Mphil. He passed his PGCE (Post Graduates Certificate in Education) in 1990, and then started full time job as a Lecturer. Due to health problems he resigned from teaching in 1999. At present he is self - employed, provides private tuition, translation and interpretation and consultancy.

Through out his adult life he has actively worked for the cause of Kashmir, and even during long illness he effectively carried out his responsibilities as a leader of the JKLF, a ‘prolific writer’ and consistent campaigner of Rights Movement and peace in Jammu and Kashmir and South Asia.